Stories of the Chosen Son
by Angelamermaid
Summary: More Parentverse vignettes, including the youngest Hunt
1. Choice

The NICU nurses are used to Dr Hunt quietly slipping in and observing Diego, the Safe Haven baby. At first, they barely notice as he strides into the nursery, heading straight for the isolette. The two nurses on duty raise their eyebrows to see Dr Hunt be bolder, as he reaches into the isolette and cradles the boy in his arms.

Diego grins toothlessly as he looks up at Owen.

Owen sits down. "I have some big news for you," he tells the boy. "You know me as Dr Hunt and you know my wife as Dr Yang. She's the one who is going to close the holes in your heart, soon."

He smiles tenderly. "And then after your surgery … we're going to ask the state if we can adopt you. We want you to join our family. We have two little girls already, they'll be great sisters for you. I'll bring them in tonight so you can meet them."

Owen pulls the boy closer,. "So hopefully, when you're older ... you'll call me Dad."


	2. Diagnosis

Owen and Cristina sit in his office, silent. They avoid looking at Diego's test results, lying on his desk. Their 18 month old son is napping in Owen's arms.

Finally, their eyes meet.

"We knew this was possible," she reminds Owen. "This isn't the '80's. People have been living with HIV for decades."

"I know." He sighs. "But I couldn't not hope that one day, we'd find out that he isn't infected …"

"But he is. Now we know for sure. We'll continue with his drug regimen and we'll find ways for him to live an active life."

"There are lots of sports and activities that he can participate in," Owen says. "We'll make sure he never feels that he's missing out on something."

She nods. "Maybe he'll find a cure for AIDS."

"Maybe." They both look at Diego, sleeping peacefully. "Let's go home."


	3. Scars

The sun burns bright on a Hawaiian beach, as Mallory chases Diego. Laughing, she tackles him and pins him onto a towel by their parents, and Chloe.

"Let him catch his breath," Cristina says, eyes on her book. "And you should take a break too, I don't like the sound of your breathing."

"Aw Mom!" The redhaired girl flops onto a beach chair.

Giggling, Diego rolls over and looks at the sky.

"Anyone need more sunblock?" Owen holds up a tube, looking pointedly at Mallory.

"Fine, fine." The ten year old girl takes the lotion from him, and starts applying it to her thin arms.

"How about you?" Owen grins down at Diego.

"I'm okay." He smiles up at his father. Just four years old, he has never known a family vacation as fun and sunny as this one. "Can we build another sandcastle?"

"Have some water first." Cristina hands him a bottle.

Diego sits up and drinks some of the cool liquid, then puts the bottle into the cooler. He props up his head on his knees and looks at his father's legs. Curious, he reaches out and traces the winding scar on Owen's right leg. "What's this?"

"That's a scar."

"I got one too." Diego looks down at his brown chest, neatly divided by a raised line.

"I put it there," Cristina reminds him. "I fixed your heart."

The boy smiles, and touches his scar. It always makes him feel close to his mother. Then he examines Owen's leg again. "What happened?"

His father grins. "I cut my leg in an automobile accident."

"Did it hurt?"

"Not much." Owen's eyes twinkle. "It hurt the most when it was sutured."

"Because you were too macho to let me numb you first," Cristina drawls.

Diego stands up and touches the scar on Owen's forehead. "What happened?"

"I ran through a glass door by accident."

"I have a scar." Mallory lifts her bangs and shows him a small scar below her hairline. "It was Chloe's fault."

"It was not!" Chloe scoffs. "You were the one who ran into the table."

"Because you were chasing me!"

"Because you wouldn't leave me alone!"

Owen winks at Diego. "They could go on for hours."

Cristina motions to Mallory. "Here, I'll do your back, before you burst into flame."

"Ha ha." She shifts over and Cristina starts applying the lotion to her back.

Diego's fingers go to the circular scar on Owen's left shoulder. "What happened?"

His father's face turns serious. He quickly glances at Cristina before responding. "I was shot."

"You what?" Chloe puts down her tablet, as Mallory turns and stares.

Owen half-smiles. "It was a long time ago."

"Was it in the war?" Mallory asks.

"No ... it was at Seattle Grace." He speaks slowly. "A very sick man was angry over his wife's death. He came to the hospital for revenge. He killed some people before he killed himself."

The children stare at him while Cristina ducks her head and continues massaging Mallory's back.

"Why did he shoot you?" Chloe asks.

"He tried to stop the gunman," Cristina says quietly. "He was a hero. The man would've killed more people, if it weren't for your father."

"Your mother was a bigger hero," Owen insists. He glances again at Cristina and she shakes her head. "Anyways, it was a clean through-and-through. I healed very quickly."

"Do you have any scars, Mommy?" Diego asks.

"I have a couple." She stands up and lifts her shirt, pointing to a faint line on her abdomen. "That's from an icicle."

Owen leans over and peers at it. "You can barely see it. You had an excellent surgeon."

"He wasn't bad." Cristina winks at him. "I'd say, adequate?"

"'Adequate'?" Owen grins. "Did I not just win the National Safety Council Surgeon's Award for Service to the Safety?"

"Here we go." Mallory rolls her eyes.

"It's like Mom and her Harper Avery award." Chloe laughs.

Chuckling, Owen stands up. "Who's ready for some sandcastle building?"

"Me!" Diego grabs his pail and shovel and scrambles to his feet.

"Me!" Mallory jumps up. She turns and looks at Chloe. "You coming?"

The tween puts down her tablet. "You bet."

"Have fun." Cristina picks up her book again.

Diego puts down his things and flings his arms around her neck. "Come play! Pleeease!"

She looks at his sparkling dark eyes, his happy grin. Not for the first time, she reflects that his infectious smile will make him very popular when he becomes a teenager.

"We'll build the _best_ castle!" Diego promises her. "Nobody will have one like ours!"

"You know how to push my buttons," Cristina laughs. "Okay."


	4. Grief

Diego clings to his father's hand, as they stand by the gravesite. He looks at his stoic mother, then at his sisters, who are clinging to each other and weeping.

"You okay?" Owen looks down at him and squeezes his hand.

"Uh huh." Diego nods solemnly. "I miss Grandpa Saul already."

"We all do." Owen glances at Cristina, who is staring at the headstone.

"Why couldn't they have waited for us?" Chloe points to the grave, covered in fresh flowers.

"It's Jewish custom," Owen reminds her. "The burial and funeral must take place as soon as possible. They couldn't wait for us to get a flight from New Zealand."

"They only had to wait a day, they could have buried him this morning."

"I know you wanted to be here for the burial, but we must respect Saul's faith and his family's wishes," Owen tells her. "Grandpa Saul knew that he was a part of our family, that's what is important."

Diego looks at the bouquets in his mother's hands. "You have a lot of flowers."

"We have two more people to honor today," Owen tells him.

The boy nods. "Grandmother Rita always brings flowers to my birth mother's grave."

Owen turns to their younger daughter. "Mallory, Grandpa Saul came to Seattle often to help care for you, when you were a preemie. Would you like to place the flowers on his grave?"

The redhaired girl wipes her eyes and nods. Cristina hands her a bouquet.

"Thank you for everything Grandpa Saul," she says in a rush. Then reverently, she places the bouquet on the fresh grave. "We all love you and we'll miss you."

They stand silently for a few seconds. Diego nibbles his bottom lip. For the first time, he's looking at the headstone of a person he knew.

"And we have a bouquet for Grandma Helen." Owen gestures to the headstone, where the name "Helen Rubenstein" is inscribed. A few bouquets have been placed on it. "She loved our family very much, she was so proud of Chloe in the ten months that she knew her."

"I wish I could remember her," Chloe says softly, as Cristina gives her a bouquet. Quietly, she crouches down and places the flowers by the headstone.

Owen looks at Cristina, who is staring at the ground. He gently touches her arm. After a few moments, she looks up at him and nods. She starts walking east.

Silently, her family follows. Diego looks questioningly at his father, but Owen says nothing, he just grips his hand tighter.

The young boy looks around the cemetery as they walk. He glances at the people visiting other graves. He sees groups of people, several couples, and a few solitary figures. He wants to ask questions, but his mother's silence forbids it.

Cristina leads them to another grave, unadorned except for a simple headstone.

"This is Grandfather Yang's grave," Owen says quietly. "He died when she was nine."

Diego looks up at his mother, restrained and silent. Her eyes are closed and she looks sad. He grips his father's hand tighter.

After a few quiet minutes, Cristina bends over and places the bouquet on the grave. Lightly, she touches the headstone, before standing tall again.

Diego watches her. His young mind lacks the vocabulary to describe the tension in the air, he just knows that his mother is very sad. Chloe and Mallory look at their parents with questions in their eyes.

Diego looks again at the headstone and lonely grave, with the solitary bouquet of flowers. Quietly, he releases his father's hand and kneels before the headstone. He places his small hands on it, and leans forward, pressing his lips to the cold stone.

He hears a choked sound behind him. Turning, he sees his mother turning to his father, tears running down her face as his arms go around her.

Chloe places a gentle hand on Diego's shoulder, as Mallory kneels beside him. They turn and look at their parents, Cristina sobbing in Owen's arms. He rubs her back and speaks soothingly.

After a few minutes, Cristina lifts her head and looks at the children. She reaches out to Diego, who takes her hand. She pulls him into a hug. "Thank you," she whispers into his ear.

"Group hug?" Mallory nervously jokes, breaking the tension.

Cristina weakly smiles. "If you must." Carefully, her daughters wrap their arms around her, followed by Owen.

Diego beams and holds on tightly to his mother, surrounded by the rest of the family. She sighs and kisses him. "I love you," she says. "All of you."


	5. Lucy

Sleepily, Diego finishes his breakfast with his parents and Chloe on a quiet Sunday morning. The rain outside has muted most sounds in the Hunt house, and they clear the table quietly.

The silence is broken by Mallory, grumbling as she carries a basket full of laundry downstairs. "I had plans for today," she icily informs her parents as she passes them by. "That did not include picking up and cleaning everyone's nasty clothes."

"Then you shouldn't have stayed out after curfew," Owen replies tersely. She mutters something as she goes downstairs.

"Can we go to the library?" Diego asks. "I finished the book I got yesterday."

"That's our boy," Cristina smiles proudly. "The best reader in your class."

He beams.

Suddenly piercing screams arise from the basement. Owen leaps up and runs down the stairs, followed by everyone else.

Mallory is screaming and pointing wildly at the clothes in the laundry basket. "Something moved!"

Diego notices that his clothes are at the top of the pile. Suddenly he realizes what might have scared his sister. "Um..."

Owen looks at him and then the laundry. "Diego?"

Guiltily, the young boy starts searching through the clothing. He pulls out a colorful snake, that wriggles in his hand.

"AHHHH!" Mallory leaps away from him. "_I hate snakes!_"

"it's just a baby garter snake," Chloe observes.

"Diego?" Cristina crosses her arms and waits for an explanation.

"I wanted a pet," Diego gulps. He dares a glance at his parents, who are trying to stifle their amusement. "I was keeping her in my room, she must have escaped into my laundry ..."

"Get rid of it!" Mallory screams.

"She's not poisonous," Diego protests, stroking the reptile.

"I think you'd better take her outside," Owen advises, guiding Diego to the stairs and away from a shaken Mallory. On the main floor, he sighs. "Son, you can't keep the snake."

"But I really want a pet," the boy says earnestly. "I can take care of her, I _promise._"

"You know that Mallory has allergies," his father counters, pulling on his shoes.

"Snakes don't have fur."

"Pets require responsibility," Cristina says, coming up the stairs. "You're only six."

Diego blinks. "I've had her for a few days now."

His parents exchange a surprised look. "What?" Cristina looks exasperated.

"Uh huh. I put a bucket in my room and I put a cover on it. I brought her worms." He strokes the snake and gives his parents his best pleading look.

"The snake needs to go outside," Owen smiles gently, as he puts on his jacket. "Now. We can take her to the park."

"Please?" Diego sticks out his lower lip. "Her name is Lucy."

Cristina shakes her head. "No snakes."

"We'll ... talk about alternatives," Owen tells Diego, trying to appease him. "But Lucy belongs outside."

Diego's small shoulders sag. "I'll go get dressed." He hands the snake to Owen and slowly walks upstairs.

Owen chuckles. "He kept a snake alive in the house without a tank."

"Impressive but gross." Cristina shakes her head.

"I think we have a future zoologist."

"Agreed." Her eyes light up. "He could be on the cover of _National Geographic_ some day. Or _Popular Science_ or _Scientific American_."

"Right now he needs to finish the first grade." Owen chuckles, holding up the snake to examine it. "Maybe we could start him off with some fish or a lizard, since he's so determined to have a pet."

"I suppose we'd be fostering his genius." Cristina wrinkles her nose. "But I don't want to deal with slimy things."

"Now what kind of example would you be setting?" Owen teases. "Girls can like reptiles too."

"Doctors don't like germs," she replies, amused.

Chloe and Mallory appear, the latter shrinking back from Owen and the snake. "Why is it still in the house?"

"We're going to release it, once Diego gets dressed," he promises, stepping back. "We'll go down to the park."

"I'll come with you," Chloe says, grabbing her jacket. She smirks. "I checked the rest of the basket so that Mallory felt safe doing the laundry."

"Sorry Mallory," Diego says, coming down the stairs, carrying a bucket.

"It's a good thing you're cute," she replies, ruffling his hair to annoy him. "Otherwise I'd throw you out in the rain and lock you out of the house."

"Stop that!" He smooths his hair before pulling on his shoes and coat. "Okay, let's go outside."

"I'll come too," Cristina decides, grabbing an umbrella.

Owen puts the snake in the bucket, then hands it to Diego.

"Bye," Mallory waves. "Don't come back with a frog."

"I think the snake will be happier outside," Chloe tells her brother as they walk towards a local park. "Garter snakes love wet places like the pond and she can hunt for her own food."

"Yeah," he says. "I tried to find some mice for her to eat but I couldn't."

Cristina's eyes widen as Owen laughs. "Diego, do _not _bring any mice home. Or any animal, not without permission, okay?"

The boy looks up at him and says nothing.

Cristina stops walking. "Do you ... have any other animals we don't know about?"

"No." Diego shakes his head. "I can't have a pet ever?"

"I think we could start you off with a small fish tank," Owen suggests. "But you have to take good care of it."

"I'll help," Chloe vows. "Since _I_ was never allowed to have a puppy." She arches an eyebrow at her amused parents.

"Let's go," Cristina chuckles. They walk on in the rain, until they arrive at the park.

Diego looks at the pond, then at the bucket.

Chloe places a hand on his shoulder. "This is the best place for Lucy."

He looks up at her and nods balefully. Silently, he walks towards the pond, with Chloe following.

"I suppose slimy things are okay, if they lead to a Nobel Prize," Cristina muses, as they watch the scene.

Owen pulls her close. "We've got one heck of a boy."

"That we do."


End file.
